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About Me

Courtney N.

Courtney is a 20-something writer and bookseller working her way to authorhood. Books are her everything, and sometimes her characters like to come out and play.
She loves recommending good books to people (and what better way to do that than by running a review blog?) and LOVES receiving recommendations in return (but seriously, her to-read shelves are overflowing). So let's discuss favourites, countdown to release dates, and drool over cover reveals!
Happy reading! <3

23 Dec 2012

(I'm bringing back Old Favourites. If you would like to participate in this meme, let me know in the comments and link me to your blog. If enough people participate, I can make this an official meme with a specific blog post about it and a list of blogs participating and everything!)

It seems only fitting to do a Christmas-themed blog post, right? Thought so.

This episode of Old Favourites (it's okay to call it an episode, right? Pretend you're watching tv or something. Okay. Moving on) I'd like to talk about one of my favourite Christmas classics.

Yep. How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Who doesn't love Dr. Seuss, right? I, along with hopefully everyone ever, grew up reading Dr. Seuss. And each year my brother and I would sit in front of the tv several times in December watching the half hour animated movie adaptation of this wonderful book.

It features everything a book about Christmas should have: memorable morals, remarkable rhymes, and incredible visuals (sorry, I couldn't keep up with the alliteration there. I hope you'll forgive me).

Dr. Suess' stories are classic, and I'm glad to see that parents are still buying their children these books, and especially that they are continuing to buy those that have been made into movies. But that's a topic for another blog post.

Christmas. Old Favourites. Right. Get back on track, Courtney.

The moral in The Grinch is, of course, an important one. It highlights family and community unity, reminding children that Christmas (and other holidays) are not all about the decorations and the presents (even if those are great bonuses). Christmas is about family and friends and being with the people you care most about and who cares most about you.
It's an important anti-materialistic message that everyone should be introduced to at a young age, especially with the advances in technology that are mind-blowingly putting iPads in the hands of six year olds (seriously, parents?). It's messages like those in Seuss that our children should be reading (or hearing, if they are too young or inable to read).

Not only that, but Seuss' stories are fun to read! And that's what makes them all the more appealing. I had no idea I was being taught life lessons in these books when I read them. I read them and I loved them, and I even read them today.

Parents, aunts/uncles, grandparents, guardians, older siblings, etc, I hope you're gifting some Seuss to the children in your life.

20 Dec 2012

(A book blog meme hosted by Librarian Mouse. To participate and for more info, click here)

More book covers! Because let's be honest, we all judge them. It's one of the first impressions we get on a book. This time I'll be sharing and comparing the worldwide covers to the book I am currently reading.

Pure by Julianna Baggott

Above is the USA and Canada cover. I love the simplicity of the cover; it's one of the things that first drew me to this book. (My boss recommending it is what ultimately made me pick it up, but then I went home and went to add it on Goodreads, only to realise I already had!)

The UK paperback cover is pictured above. Not my favourite, but I love the font!

Another UK paperback cover that was released several months after the first printing. Very fiery and eye-catching and sure to draw in Hunger Games fans.

The German cover. Basically the same as the American cover, but in German.

The Italian cover. The colour pops out a little bit more on this one.

And above is the Polish cover, which is very different from the others. Still a great design!

So which cover is your favourite?

I personally am attached to the American cover, probably because it's the one I'm reading. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

17 Dec 2012

I am very pleased to be involved in the cover reveal for the third installment in Lynn Rush's Wasteland series.
The cover is absolutely beautiful, but I will just stop typing now so you can all see that for yourself...

Ta-daa!

I love the red against the snow, personally. Awesome cover. I can't stop staring...
Oh, right. The blurb!

THE TAINTED BACK COVER BLURB (from Goodreads):

Even death can’t stop true love…After over four hundred years as a Guardian, Durk Langdon rebuked it all. Walked away from everything when his mate, Jessica, was brutally murdered. Yet he has no recollection of anything since that gruesome day.
Nothing alleviates his longing for Jessica or his disdain for the Guardians until a former brother-in-arms joins him and his cause. Visions of his lost love start appearing in the most unlikely places, until Durk learns she survived.
But when he sets out to find her, demonic obstacles he never could have imagined tear them apart.
If only he had trusted her.

And of course, a portion of all proceeds will be donated to cancer research and treatment.Add Tainted to your goodreads to-read list! And if you have yet to read the first two books in the series, click here to check them out on goodreads as well.Connect with Lynn Rush:Follow her on Twitter: @LynnRushVisit her websiteLikeher on FacebookAnd to make this cover reveal even more exciting, there is a giveaway you can enter! See the rafflecopter below:

15 Dec 2012

The publishers of the Blood of Eden series have designed new covers for Julie Kagawa's vampiric dystopian series, Blood of Eden. The new covers looks great, and I am excited for them, but I do understand why some fans of the series are concerned about the new cover designs. However, I have a few points that should soothe your hesitation, Kagawa fans.

(The first edition The Immortal Rules cover)

Like with Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me trilogy, Blood of Eden is going to have new cover designs, presumably so the series can have covers that flow. Both YA series had standard covers featuring the main character (See my post on the new Shatter Me trilogy cover reveal here), and I believe that having a cover that features more of a design than a face will appeal to readers. Current fans already love the series, and a cover that could appeal to everyone would only benefit the series. I don't want to get into a super deep analysis of what type of covers attract what groups of people, so I won't say much else about that.
Plus there isn't much you can do with a character's face at the cover, unless you change up the characters featured on the cover, or if you do what the Delirium trilogy did with their covers (which I personally am not a fan of, because it was just different angles of Lena's face with a different colour featured on each colour. It did not feel as creative as it could have been, but hey).

Cover changes happen, and usually it is for the better, even if not everyone is a fan (and it's impossible to please everyone, so) of the changes.

And honestly, I had a feeling the covers would change. I personally love the new covers. They're fun to look at, and even though this means I'm going to have to buy another copy of The Immortal Rules so my covers will match, I can live with that.

So what are your thoughts on the new covers? Let's discuss in the comments!

14 Dec 2012

No video for this one, unfortunately, as the camera I usually use has no working batteries to use. Perhaps I'll do one later, but for now, a text blog post will have to suffice.

It was employee appreciation weekend at my work, and, well, I took full advantage.
I could have bought more books, but I just finished my Christmas shopping (anyone else done yet? Doesn't it feel amazing?!) and didn't want to put too much stress on my bank account.

(PS, to view more information about each book, click on the covers to be taken to their Goodreads page)

I picked these two lovelies up, checking two more off of my to-read list on Goodreads. And bonus! Lullaby is a signed copy.

If you guys have not had a chance to see these covers 'in person', then I highly recommend that you do. They are shiny and gorgeous. Wake, especially, is my favourite. I cannot wait to read these.

The next is a book I really should have read long ago, but did not get around to it until now (and probably would not have read it had I not started to get myself more into contemporary fiction).

That's right, I'm a Perks virgin, but I own it now! And in my defense, at least I have not seen the movie yet. I'll save that until I've read the book. I took the pledge, after all. I also did not get the movie cover, because I refuse to buy the movie tie-in covers of books. Books are books, and movies on books are a great addition when done right, but I don't want those covers in my collection, not matter how much I loved the movie.

I also picked up the original paperback cover of John Green's Looking for Alaska, because I love this cover so much more than the cover I bought when that was all my store had in stock (and then threw out my receipt so I couldn't even exchange it. Stupid, stupid me). BUT my pickiness benefits you all, because sometime in the new year I will be giving away my other copy of Looking for Alaska, so keep an eye out for that!

And lastly, I bought the debut novel of Jodi Picoult's daughter, Samantha Van Leer. While I am not a Jodi Picoult fan (her ideas are interesting, and maybe I'll try again, but the books I've read by her just dragged on and I couldn't finish them. Couldn't even force myself to. But like I said, maybe I'll try again one day), I'm excited to read this book:

A book character who talks to his reader and they fall in love? Isn't that every fangirl's dream? I expect this one to be a light read, but an enjoyable one all the same. Should be interesting.

3 Dec 2012

The cover for Melissa West's second novel in The Taking series is here!

Isn't it gorgeous?Hover does not yet have a blurb, but there will be one released closer to Hover's official release date, which is August 6th, 2013. So look out here for that closer to August.You can pre-order Hover today. Provided below are some links to do just that :)Pre-order Buy links:

Melissa lives in a tiny suburb of Atlanta, GA with her husband and daughter. She pretends to like yoga, actually likes shoes, and could not live without coffee. Her writing heroes include greats like Jane Austen and Madeleine L'Engle.She holds a B.A. in Communication Studies and an M.S. in Graphic Communication, both from Clemson University. Yeah, her blood runs orange.Website- http://www.melissawestauthor.com/